A Little Skin Therapy

Being the skincare lover that I am, I was thrilled last week to see Adore Beauty offering the chance to purchase a curated sample kit containing six of their favourite 'super serums'. While cleansing & hydrating is de rigour in even the most low-maintenance skincare regimes, it's the step in the middle that excites me most. 

The serums, masks, exfoliants, oils & specialist treatment correctors that follow cleansing offer the greatest opportunity to treat skin. Often highly concentrated & specifically designed to address a targeted skin concern, they are the magical elixirs of skincare. When used consistently & as advised, they have the power to transform & often can be the critical difference between good skin & truly great skin. 

The Adore Beauty Super Serums sampler contained trial-sized versions of SK-II Facial Treatment Essence, Lancome Genefique Youth Activator, Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Collagen Booster, Trilogy Rosehip Oil, Antioxidant +, Alpha-H Liquid Gold Prep & Prime & Subtle Energies Facial Blend. I cannot wait to get into trialling each & every one of them and seeing how my skin reacts!


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AEOS: Beauty With Intent

A clever friend of mine once taught me that if you do something with the right intention, success inevitably follows. She was talking about decisions & actions in business, but I think it's a truism that applies to all areas of life. Something {be it a decision, an action, even a product} created out of genuine intent is formed on such solid bedrock, it's only a matter of time before it flourishes.

It is with this belief in mind that I was keen to experience AEOS - Active Energised Organic Skincare, a collection of luxurious products created with careful intent & impeccable attention to detail. AEOS products contains natural, organic & biodynamic plant extracts, essences & essential oils. As if this wasn't delicious & considered enough, the clever AEOS creators have further fortified them with crystal energies & the waveforms of colour. The result? A cutting edge, holistic & luxurious range of skincare that delivers not only a radiant complexion, but significant wellness benefits too.

My stand out favourite was the AEOS Realive Serum, which is fragranced with heavenly essential oils of lavender & rose geranium and contains active hyaluroinic acid to promote skin repair. A little of the serum smoothed on my face, neck & around my eyes after cleansing left my skin feeling plumped & nourished.   

The AEOS philosophy is based on the belief that the sum of the parts (or ingredients in this case) is more effective than any would be individually. Each formula has been carefully created with the intention of optimal balance & performance for the skin. By introducing the products into your beauty routine, you can't help but feel that you're nurturing your skin & gaining not only a glowing complexion, but the greater wellbeing benefits of this unique range too!

AEOS can be purchased at Be Genki. While you're visiting, be sure to check out their amazing collection of moisturising & strengthening AEOS Nail Lacquers!

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Problem Solved: Mario Badescu Skincare

Having survived my teenage years and graduated to a fully-fledged member of the 20-something club, I was surprised when my usually calm skin all of a sudden erupted into temperamental breakouts recently. While I was use to its tendency to t-zone shininess & the occasional spot, this new wave of blemishes & all-out oiliness was a new experience! Just like any beauty explorer, rather then despair, it signalled the chance to discover a new skincare routine...

I had heard about the iconic New York brand of natural skincare, Mario Badescu in numerous magazines & read about it on countless blogs, where it was praised by celebrities & product-lovers alike for it's amazing skin-saving properties. Perhaps most famous of all is its legendary Drying Lotion, which seemed the perfect place to start my new regime.

A potent blend of salicylic acid, calamine & other healing ingredients, the Drying Lotion is an overnight miracle spot treatment. Do not be fooled by the pretty pastel pink colour of sediment that you apply to blemishes, this product packs a serious punch in healing spots, fast. I love the strong, medicinal smell of the lotion, which to me perfectly encapsulates it's healing properties. Apply directly to skin with a cotton tip after cleansing in the evening & you'll wake wondering if that pesky spot was actually just in your imagination.

Encouraged by the success of the Drying Lotion, I also tried the Acne Facial Cleanser and the Special Cucumber Lotion from the range. My skin loves AHAs, in particular Glycolic & Salicylic acids, which are expert exfoliators & ideal for problem skin. Knowing this, I had a feeling it would also love these products and I wasn't wrong!

The cleanser contains salicylic for deep exfoliation & oil balancing and is perfectly complemented with the Aloe Vera and Chamomile extracts, which work to soothe & calm redness. The overall result is that skin feels deeply cleansed, but not dry - perfect for healthy, balanced skin. After cleansing, a swipe of the Cucumber Lotion acts as a light refresh & provides the perfect finish before moisturising.

After just a few weeks using these products, my skin has cleared & appears not only blemish-free but also more even & healthy. With my love affair for the Mario Badescu range firmly established, I think the next logical step is a trip to the acclaimed New York spa for a facial!

{Pic: TimeOut (NewYork)}

 Are there any other Mario Badescu fans out there? Which products do you love?

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Polished

For baby-soft, smooth skin that's irresistible to touch, there is no substitute for regular exfoliation. One of my favourite ways to pep up tired, lacklustre skin is with a scrub...the beads not only work to clear away dead skin debris, but have a stimulating effect on blood flow, leaving your complexion glowing!

The important thing when exfoliating, particularly with facial exfoliants, is to ensure you're not over-treating. While the temptation is there to enjoy that amazing deep-clean feeling daily, generally speaking, once to twice a week is perfect.

For maximum benefit, exfoliate after cleansing. Apply product the size of a 20 cent piece to your palm and, using finger tips only, gently work into your skin in small circular motions. Be careful to apply only a light pressure, particularly when exfoliating delicate areas of the face. Rinse with warm (not hot) water and always moisturise to finish and protect.

I particularly love products that include AHAs (alpha hydroxi acids) in their formulation as they offer double duty; the AHAs (usually lactic acid from milk or glycolic acid from sugar cane) work to even out the skin on a cellular level, while the polishing grains perform their magic on the skins surface.

The result? Even, smooth, glowing skin.

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Vitamin Therapy - Monoderma

The change in seasons has left my skin feeling a little average; uneven in texture & tone and generally lacking the glow that summer brings. In a bid to get it back on track & supercharged for the fast-approaching cooler months, I've begun a course of vitamin therapy, with Monoderma Vitamin skin capsules.

Just like the variety you might pop when your system feels lacking, skin vitamins are designed to boost & supplement your regular skincare regime, but are applied topically to the skin, rather than taken in tablet form. Formulated by a group of Italian Chemists, the Monoderma range offers active, concentrated doses of Vitamin A, C & E - each designed to target specific skin concerns. They come packaged in clever, single application ampoules & are designed to be used as a month-long, intensive course.

Given the current state of my complexion, I chose the Vitamin A (Retinol) 0.15% variety, although my skin would have been just as grateful for the Vitamin C boost, which is designed to seriously amp up glow. The promise of refined texture & increased cellular turnover to aid with premature ageing (the result of too many days spent basking in summer sun!) won me over however & so I opted for Vitamin A. Complexions prone to adult breakout will love these wonder capsules too: by encouraging accelerated cellular turnover, they assist skin in regenerating & clearing - an added benefit!

One week in, my skin already seems brighter and softer to touch. The vitamins have a lightweight, velvety gel texture that absorbs rapidly into the skin and sits comfortably under my evening moisturiser. I plan to treat my skin with a course of Monoderma vitamins at times when it needs increased luminosity & vitality. By their very nature, the vitamins are ideal as a pre-event treatment, or for any occasion that demands a state of complexion perfection (Brides-to-Be, are you listening?!)

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Monoderma is distributed in Australia by True Solutions International. For stockists, visit their website